She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 567 - 565 Wishing He Was Your Son

Chapter 567: Chapter 565 Wishing He Was Your Son

Xiuqin suddenly thought of Miss Ye, the smile that lingered on the corners of her mouth abruptly halted. It seemed that Miss Ye’s attire wasn’t particularly fine, nor had she seen her wearing any jewelry. Miss Ye’s clothing appeared to be made of plain fabric, just like hers.

She mustn’t allow for the same mistake as Miss Ye’s, to have clothes made from plain fabric for her and her aunt.

Everyone had their lunch in their own rooms, and not long after Qing Min had cleared away the dishes, Nanny Huang arrived with Cui Zhu and two other young maids in tow.

Cui Zhu and the two maids each held two bolts of silk fabric in their arms.

Upon seeing those splendid fabrics, Xiuqin’s lingering anxiety immediately settled in her stomach. They were indeed fine materials, the likes of which could not be found in the town’s fabric shops.

Afterward, Lady Zhao and her niece began their leisurely stay at the Qi family, witnessing firsthand how the Qi family prepared their New Year’s goods and food, a spectacle they had never seen before in their lives.

Although Lady Zhao had lived comfortably for two years with Wong Qi, that period was short-lived, and before she learned how to enjoy prosperous days, misfortune had befallen her.

Before coming to the Qi family, she had pondered how her son and the Qi family lived. She had to have someone read the letters Wong Qiao brought her since they generally only conveyed safety and mentioned little of the day-to-day details.

Moreover, Cheung Wusi maintained correspondence with his former home, occasionally bringing her Silver, but owing to Lady Zhao’s widowhood and in order to avoid trouble, Qi Younian had not allowed Wong Qiao to bring her the full amount of Silver Tael, hence the information was naturally limited.

Over the last two years, her son had sent her not an insignificant amount of Silver, and she had not lacked for clothing or food; she no longer needed to toil for a living as in the past, yet she had never imagined that the Qi family whom her son served would possess such wealth.

Not only did she and her niece have the fine materials brought by Madam Yin, but they also enjoyed fine meals three times a day, with their room stocked continuously with pastries and dried fruits—luxuries not even ordinary families could afford at New Year’s.

The pastries kept arriving in a variety of styles. Sometimes, when tasting a certain pastry, they experienced a burst of flavor so delightful that it was like ascending to heaven.

Xiuqin even asked if their pastries were really man-made. How could they be so fragrant and sweet, yet possess such a smooth and intoxicating taste?

Following that, the Qi family began the New Year preparations in earnest, bustling about as they slaughtered cows and sheep.

Lady Zhao had rarely encountered beef in her life, having tasted it only once during the peak years with Wong Qi, yet the Qi family had slaughtered an entire cow to supply their New Year feast.

The slaughtering of sheep was slated for another day, and that event was even livelier. In the village where Lady Zhao used to live, wealthier families might slaughter a pig for the New Year, which created its own kind of festivity. However, the merriment there was confined to a few people who came to help and very close friends or relatives who could come and taste the trotters and offals, along with a big pot of preserved vegetables.

But at the Qi family’s sheep slaughtering, the courtyard was filled with children and teenagers. Some were there to watch the butchering, while others lit bonfires in the yard, displaying an unexpected proficiency.

Before long, freshly trimmed lamb was sent to the kitchen, and the sliced meat was skewered and placed over the fire, as the lively barbecue began.

What was most noticeable were several skewers of lamb kidneys, wrapped in thick fat, being continuously roasted over the fire. The melting grease dripped onto the flames, causing sizzling sounds and bursts of fire.

Madam Yin cheerfully accompanied Lady Zhao as they sat in the corridor, watching the lively procession of adults and children, male and female servants coming and going, occasionally explaining some details to Lady Zhao.

Watching the courtyard full of children, Xiuqin seized a moment to lean in and whisper into Lady Zhao’s ear, "Auntie, do all these adults and children plan to eat here? How much meat would be enough for all of them?"

Lady Zhao glared at Xiuqin, but she couldn’t stop Xiuqin from swallowing her saliva and asking again, "Why would they burn perfectly good meat? It’s such a waste of fine food."

Then, Xiuqin saw Lady Zhao’s gaze become even more piercing and she quickly shrank her neck, not daring to make a peep.

Indeed, even if it was a waste of resources, those were the Qi family’s to waste. If they were happy, what right did she have to comment?

Xiuqin watched as the perfectly good food was smoked over the fire, feeling a pain in her heart.

That good-looking Lord Jiang and the somewhat intimidating Master Guan sat in front of a fire pit, turning meat skewers in their hands while joking and laughing.

Miss Ye’s younger brother was running back and forth between the fires, with a quiet and reserved maid following not far behind him, occasionally reminding him to watch his path and not to step on the fire.

She had no idea what the taste of this fire-roasted food was like, but the lively scene was genuinely festive.

Sometime later, Miss Xiuqin no longer thought the same. Amidst the sizzling sounds of the firework-like display, an enticing aroma began to waft through the air, penetrating her nostrils.

Then, a maid brought over a tray with several plates of roasted meat, golden brown with oil and sprinkled with seasoning, and the fragrance of the meat spread with the heat and smoke to the surroundings.

Madam Yin said to Lady Zhao with a smile, "It was only after coming here that I realized that eating roasted meat could have such a lively ambience. Madam Zhao and Miss Xiuqin should try the flavor, the food prepared by these children is quite delicious."

Sitting in the middle of the courtyard, Guan He also picked up a skewer of lamb kidneys, first happily admiring it, then commented to Jiang Yifan, "The sheep raised on your cattle farm are really not bad, they can almost compare to those from the grasslands of the North. I remember when I wanted to have some roasted kidneys, it was so difficult; I had to wait for someone to slaughter a sheep, then sweet-talk them for a share. Otherwise, I would have to hunt wild goats in the mountains myself, and the taste couldn’t even compare to this."

After speaking, he took a deep breath, bit into it largely, and chewed blissfully.

While chewing, he said to Jiang Yifan, "You should try too, the freshly butchered roasted lamb kidneys, the flavor is..." Before he could utter "excellent," he saw Qi Jiaer bounding over and quickly held his tongue.

It wasn’t that he found anything wrong with butchering animals; it was just that Qi Jiaer’s sister was particularly annoying, forbidding him from discussing violent and bloody matters in front of children. It seemed that the extraction of freshly butchered lamb kidneys also fell under the category of violence.

"Lord Jiang, should I also roast some lamb kidneys for you?" Qi Jiaer’s little face was aglow with the fire’s light as he spoke excitedly.

Before Jiang Yifan could respond, Guan He placed several skewers of lamb kidneys before himself and adamantly refused, "No, children shouldn’t roast lamb kidneys; you go and roast skewers."

"Why can’t I?" Qi Jiaer asked, his eyes wide with surprise.

"..." Because the hard-earned delicacies would be completely ruined if roasted by a child.

"Children shouldn’t eat this, so they shouldn’t roast it either; it just doesn’t taste good when kids do it. Lord Jiang really likes the skewers you roast, so go and make some for Lord Jiang to eat," Guan He bluffed and cajoled.

Jiang Yifan patted Qi Jiaer’s little cheek and said with a smile, "Uncle Guan is just teasing you. Lamb kidneys aren’t easy to roast well, that’s why Uncle Guan wants to do it himself, to bring out the rich flavor. Brother Jia, you go roast the skewers, and once they’re done, we can eat them together."

"That’s how it is? Alright then, I’ll go and roast the skewers," Qi Jiaer cheerfully agreed and ran off.

Guan He raised an eyebrow at Jiang Yifan and remarked, "You better hurry and get married, start working on having a child. Looking at you, you’d wish this little fellow were your son, eh?"